ungkler: Renaissance Florence

Italy : Florence, Lecchio
Winter 2011

On a hill at Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence
(Feb-2011)

Journal Entry... A replica of Michelangelo's David overlooks the city of Florence. In Biblical account, David was empowered by God to slay the giant Goliath. David is used to represent Florence. Like David, Florence rose above her neighboring cities, kicking off the Renaissance cultural revolution that had influenced the world over.

Two Peas in Florence

4-feb: Around Florence... The old part of town is a walking city for being small in area. Hubby and I had circled the city, repeatedly, and on every round, the nude David replica statue in Piazza della Signoria would remain up in his post, perhaps amused by all that interest given to him by visitors. There's another nude David replica statue in Piazzale Michelangelo overlooking the renaissance city from his post up the hill.

A replica of David overlooks the city of Florence from a hill

Renaissance colors
at Piazza del Duomo

The real statue of David (in the nude!) sculpted by the master Michelangelo is inside the Accademia, where the incredibly huge David (no pun intended) is under spotlight; no photography is allowed. From afar, David's body frame seemed disproportionate to David's face. Up close, David was perfection to the eyes of the beholder*wink;) Did you know? Come winter time, there's no line at all to enter Uffizi Gallery, so take advantage of it. Columns outside the Uffizi Gallery are bedecked with sculptures of world-renowned renaissance artists, namely, Michelangelo, Giotto, Leonardo, Raphael, Caravaggio, Rubens, Botticelli, etc., whose priceless works of art are in the museum's safekeeping. Meanwhile, "other artworks" are scattered on display at every corner in the city... awaiting purchase by a patron willing to take a risk it would end up to be priceless someday. Remember, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, et al. had started off from the very streets of Florence themselves.

Future works of art
outside Uffizi Gallery

10-feb: Meeting "Mr. Furball" in Boboli gardens... That day, hubby and I crossed the Ponte Vecchio to Oltrarno to enter the royal palace - Palazzo Pitti. In the palace gardens - Boboli, there's a panoramic view of the old town across the river and best for photo-op. In the gardens was where I'd come across a peculiar black feline. I dubbed the cat, "Mr. Furball". Furball was loving the attention he'd get from passing visitors, who would pet the cat. I followed suit... cat stayed put... until I had to get moving, was when the cat planted its razor-sharp nails on my right boot. Like saying, "Please don't go without my photo." After my photo-op with the cat, the cat calmly walked away.

Gardens of Palazzo Pitti in the south bank of Florence

"Mr. Furball"
in Boboli gardens

On my way to the exit was when I caught sight of what I think was David's counterpart-- a sculpture of a "plump renaissance man" sitting on top of a tortoise. The plump man sculpture sent me off laughing, whilst pointing to the hubby. Hubby gamely posed before the sculpture, imitating how it had posed, but hubby made me promise not to post it ever. Hmmm... let me think about it.

(to be cont.)

oOo
PHOTOSTITCH

#Italy #Florence #winter2011